"I've had to come in and fight for my place and that's what I'll do all season"

Dannie Bulman insists that the competitive nature of the squad will drive everyone on over the course of the upcoming campaign.

The midfielder wore the armband on Saturday in the final game of pre-season against Portsmouth, but knows that the hard work will continue throughout the season to make sure he retains his place in the side with the league kicking off this weekend at home to Port Vale.

"We've got a squad which can field two different teams," he told iFollow Crawley.

"It's good to have that competiton and you can't rest on your laurels.

"I've had to come in and fight for my place and that's what I'll continue to do throughout the season."

Dannie is now in his third spell with the club after rejoining the Reds in the summer having left AFC Wimbledon at the end of last season.

He pointed to a different playing philosophy this time around under new Head Coach Harry Kewell, and was positive about the style the Australian has tried to implement.

"It's a different style this time around," he continued.

"We're patient when we don't have possession and it's a style which encourages players to pass the ball - which all footballers like to do, so long may it continue."

The game against the Blues ended in a 2-1 defeat in the final game before the new campaign, but the 38-year-old emphasised that there were still plenty of positives to take from the contest against the side which won the division last season.

"We're disappointed with the result overall, but I think there we plenty of positives.

"We had some good attacking play and I thought it was more like the type of game we're going to face throughout the season - so it was a good run out for the boys.

"Portsmouth are a good side with some quality players and a big budget too, so we did well this afternoon."

iFollow Crawley subscribers can watch Dannie's full interview above - and fans can sign up to the service for free by clicking here.